The islands are off the coast of South America but culturally
belong more to the Caribbean.

The islands were visited by Columbus in 1498 on his third
voyage. They are close to the mainland of South America and off
the shore of Venezuela.

The original inhabitants of Trinidad were Arawak Indians
while Tobago was inhabited by Caribs. The Arawaks were related
to the main Indian language groups still found in northern South
America. The Caribs were a group who in the 15th century were
spreading throughout the Caribbean area and displacing the Arawaks.
During Spanish rule the Indians were exterminated after being
made slaves.

The Spaniards occupied Trinidad until 1797 when it was annexed
by Britain. Tobago was annexed by France in 1781 and then taken
by the British during the Napoleonic wars in 1802. The two islands
were combined administratively in 1899. Independence came in
1962.

The people of the islands came first from Africa as slaves,
then when slavery had been abolished East Indians (mostly Hindus)
from British India were brought to work as "indentured laborers"
- contract slaves. But the islands have an exceptionally mixed
population as there have also been Chinese, Spanish, English
and French settlers. All these have influenced the culture of
the islands. No doubt the Arawaks also are represented in the
genes of the modern population.

Since independence the island has had a democratic system
with at least one change of government party. However in 1990
there was an attempted coup by a militant Muslim group which
although quickly suppressed tended to indicate some degree of
alienation of parts of the population and suggested possible
instability.

An attempted coup in 1990 by a disaffected extreme Muslim
group probably had very little popular support, but as in many
third world countries, the political system - a Westminster model
- often seems remote from the interests and needs of the people.

At the December 1991 elections the ruling party was swept
out of power by the opposition People's National Movement which
had ruled the country for most of the 30 years since independence.
The First Past the Post electoral system exaggerated the swing
in sentiment.

The two main parties represent the two main ethnic groups:
Hindus and Africans (the descendants of the African slaves).
In the last election they each got 18 seats in the 36 member
parliament resulting in a deadock. The president appointed Patrick
Manning, the leader of the "African" group, as Prime
Minister. The "Indian" group has seldom led the government.
In June 2002 government was reported as being paralysed by the
impasse.

The island of Trinidad is situated in a continuation of the
oil fields of Venezuela. A deposit of asphalt or bitumen was
a famous product of the island and oil is an important source
of foreign exchange, making the country one of the wealthiest
in the Caribbean. There is also sugar growing and refining and
tourism. However, oil production is declining. While the price was
low people experienced cuts in public spending.

Drug trafficing is becoming a serious law and order problem, while making the criminal classes wealthier and introducing corruption into the whole political system. Guns have been imported by the criminals and the murder rate is so high that in August 2011 the government declared a state of emergency and a night time curfew, with extra powers for the police. But are they tackling the real controllers of the drug trade?